Another recent scholarship was provided to Joseph Mendoza, who is an LUCY alumn who was undocumented and was ineligible for financial aid to attend University of Michigan for graduate school.
Joseph Mendoza Martinez was born in Honduras, but was raised in Camden, New Jersey. Joseph attended Camden County College and graduated from Rutgers-Camden with his Bachelor of Arts in Health Sciences, and a minor in Psychology. During his time at Rutgers-Camden, Joseph was active in the Honors College, Immigrant Justice Association, a researcher at the Senator Walter Rand Institute, and in the community.
Joseph received the Health Sciences Award for Excellence, the Health Sciences Award for Applied Work and Volunteering, and the Chancellor’s Cooper Hospital Civic Leadership Award. Joseph was also chosen to be the class speaker (valedictorian) at his graduation! Joseph was accepted into Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Xavier and UNC but decided to pursue a Master of Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor—receiving the John Griffith Merit Scholarship. As a Michigan Wolverine, Joseph leads an initiative with minority serving institutions (MSIs), is president of the Latinx Public Health Student Organization, is a resident assistant, and works in graduate school outreach for students from marginalized backgrounds. Last summer Joseph interned at the University of Chicago Medicine Hospital with the Executive Director for ambulatory services, and of 160 applications, with 2 were chosen, including Joseph, he has been selected to work at Stanford Hospital, as the new administrative fellow! He will be working with the c-suite healthcare leaders upon graduation! Wow! We are SO proud of him!
Joseph wants to say: “I am eternally grateful for all of the support LUCY has given me over the past many years. From barely being able to attend and pay for community college, to being selected as Rutgers’ valedictorian, and getting accepted to the best graduate schools in the country for my major. As I approach graduation, I’m so proud to be from Camden and LUCY, and cannot wait to have the impact on others’ lives that you all have had on mine! I will give back every day! I love you guys!!”